Frequently asked questions about sources

To memorize a Kanji, the important is to identify its key and its phonetic primitive. Keys serve as classifier. Everybody knows them and nobody disputes their meaning. The phonetic primitives on the other hand are less known. Schools like those of the precursor Wieger, or now De Roo, University of Osaka, some American universities… base their teaching on these phonetic primitives. The meanings of these primitives (coming from the "Setsusbunkaiji" - See Question "2" : Validity of sources), becomes clear when studied.

Only the link between key, phonetic and the current sense of Kanji can be problematic. The "Handbook", conciseness obliges, summarized long analyzes succinctly, suggesting a mnemonic which sometimes seems artificial. This semantic link may be regarded as a mere mnemonic, or be given a linguistic value. The "Handbook" does not decide; he proposes. From these two thousand "cases", it is up to the reader to form his opinion on the matter. If the proposed link does not suit him, he can rephrase it with its own terms; the important thing is that the two components are identified and finally the character is memorized.

"Where does these explanations come from and are they credible?"

The Analysis of Kanji are established on bibliographic studies detailed in the introduction of the "Handbook" : the "Setsusbunkaiji" and its avatars, further investigations in Japan , Taiwan ...and since 2010, on the work of the Japanese Shiragawa (白川静)..
The latter went back to the religious origins of the graphics. For example, the mouth 口, in small seal, would come from the box, "the urn" where the faithful deposed their ex-voto carrying their written request of supplication to the Gods. A box of writings symbolizes the request - and thus the mouth. For the Kanji himself, the explanation has been given. But, in a memento - conciseness obliges - it is impossible to start again this complex descrition in all the Kanji where the element "口" intrevene. The graf (a square) is then simply identified as meaning "the mouth"、 As for the Setsusbunkaiji, it was written two thousand years ago by a Chinese man - who did not always go back to religious origins-, but was probably less mistaken than those who now quibble on an interpretation.

"We refer to the detailled file "Write" of the Software, which addresses this problem.
"The drawing must be reproduced with accuracy to avoid, in particular, confusions. Consider for instance that 田 represents the field, 由grain that sprouts - meaning the reason, cause,甲 the helmet and 申transmitted, passed on; that 矢 means the arrow and 失うto lose; 石 the stone and 右the right... A piece of line that exceeds and meaning varies completely. Hence, the need, among other things, to stop the strokes perfectly."

For that purpose, the Chinese Calligraphers established rules they have perpetuated for nearly two millennia. Some purists erect these rules as intangible dogmas. Yet these rules have been modified over time. In Japan, the latest regulations of 1958 established 11 main rules, some of which (like the 4th for a character drawn in the form of a cross inside other strokes: 十 inside □ for 田,...) - challenge that had practiced all previous generations"

It is thus necessary to see these rules - and sometimes arbitrary character - from a distance; especially when it comes to recent rules. And the last reform of 2010 in Japan does not help , who returns to the old forms , with different spellings depending on whether the Kanji is printed or written ( or ⻌辶)...

The image of printed stroke in a book does not allow to know if it was - and has to be - drawn from left to right or from right to left, from top to bottom or vice versa … There are 11 well main rules, but they are, in many cases, contradictory. To remove the ambiguity, we suggest you to use Web. A free site like " kakijun.main.jp /-漢字 の 正 し い 書 き 順(筆順)" trace Kanji features continuously. This will specify the order and direction of the strokes...

Again, it must be recognized that if the number of strokes of a Kanji is obvious, unquestionable, for almost all of them, a small minority raise problem. 臣for example is ranked 6 traits in all ancient texts , while it is now accounted for 7. The angles plotted like the bottom center of 御 are counted for 1 or 2 lines depending on whether one considers the angle was drawn continuously or in two 2 times...

The successive reforms introduce or undo simplifications which, ipso facto, modify the number of strokes. The dog 犬 differs from Big 大 by the stroke '; it was removed in 臭 but kept in 嗅..."抜けたり, 付けたり" as also notice it with a philosophy tinged with sadness some Japanese teachers who must "justify" these evolutions with their European students!

And do not forget the impact of the Japanese reform of 2010: the reintroduction of old forms such as 者 with its additional feature in the phonetic radical 箸 or 賭 makes bastard systematic classifications.

Moreover, we find this ambiguity on computers or Word Pro. They give different answers to these controversial cases. Depending on whether one refers to Microsoft's entry Editors (IME), Canon , Sony ... the Kanji are classified under a number of traits ranging from + or - 1. Japanese experts from the 2010 reform agreed and responded that "the editors have to include all the changes in their softwares".

If, therefore, exceptionally, you hesitate on the number of strokes of a Kanji, you should not be offended. Put in perspective. Follow the tracks mentioned above and, if you do not get a satisfactory answer, tell yourself that you are not the only one to whom these cases are problematic.

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